![]() ![]() This frank, revisionist romp through a Bible tale is a winner. ![]() is a meditation on female power and powerlessness, the stories told about women and the ones we tell about and to ourselves. Solomon connects these stories in a way that’s fresh and tantalizing, with fascinating intergenerational discussions about desire, duty, family, and feminism, as well as a surprising, completely believable twist. Her observations of domestic life rote marital sex, the steady drip of compromise, the sine wave of intimacy and irritation are unfailingly sharp. Later, Lily connects with one of Ruth’s old friends, who shares surprising details about her mother’s identity and past experience. In 2016 Brooklyn, Lily is getting her kids ready for Purim when she learns that her mother, Ruth, has been diagnosed with cancer. ![]() Vee takes refuge with her best friend, Rosemary, who’s converting to Judaism in solidarity with her husband. Vee refuses, and is sent packing by Alexander’s chief of staff. ![]() Alexander Kent, makes the same lewd request Ahasuerus made to Vashti. by Anna Solomon BROOKLYN LILY Esther for Children and Novices Close the book now. At a house party in 1970s Washington, D.C., Vee Kent’s husband, Sen. In the ancient Persian town of Susa, new king Ahasuerus banishes his wife, Vashti, after she refuses to strip for Ahasuerus’s friends. Solomon ( Leaving Lucy Pear) models this clever, heartfelt triptych on The Hours, weaving a retelling of the biblical story of Esther with the linked stories of a senator’s wife and a Brooklyn mom. ![]()
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